Father Figure
by Writing4ever4God
Summary: Third story in my new series. Emily has always hated Father's Day, ever since her father died. Can Matt help her learn to see it in a new way? R/R


DISC: I DO NOT own any of the ponies you recognize in this story. They belong to Hasbro. I do however own all of the Human characters. The only ponies I own are Mahina and Melody, as well as Glowstar. If you wanna use any of them, please ask me first.

Thanks!

"Father Figure"

It was a beautiful day in Ponyland. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

The little ponies and the Hartson girls were taking advantage of the springtime weather.

Fizzy was hanging out with Molly, while Megan was spending time with Firefly.

Julie was at her best Human friend, Charlotte Martin's house for the next two weeks.

The ponies newest adult friend, Matt, was sorting through some CD's. He worked at a radio station part time to make a little extra money for himself.

He was from Hawaii, but he had lived in Nebraska since he was twenty-five or so.

As for Patrick, he was practicing his magic. Some of the baby ponies were watching him. They loved it when Patrick did his magic for them.

As Firefly glanced up from tickling Baby Sunflyer, she noticed Emily sitting alone. She was drawing a picture by the side of Posey's garden.

But as Firefly observed the little girl from afar, she noticed she wasn't just drawing. She was also watching Matt with something of sad longing on her face. She had grown very attached to him since her older cousin, Megan, had brought her to Ponyland a few months ago. The two had hit it off right away.

Emily loved music and reading mysteries, which were two of Matt's favorite things to do.

Emily was eight-years-old and very sweet. She was Hawaiian and she spoke the language sometimes.

She was staying with Abby while her mother sorted some things out and found a place to stay for both of them.

They had recently moved to Nebraska after Emily's mother, Lelani, had divorced her stepfather, Travis.

Travis wasn't a kid person and therefore, he didn't treat Emily as nicely as he should have.

Emily's biological father, Sam, had died in a surfing accident back when Emily was seven. She and Sam had been extremely close and she missed him a lot.

Father's day was also coming up soon. Emily wasn't looking forward to it. She hadn't even looked forward to it much when her mother and Travis were together either. It had lost it's appeal and fun for her the day her father went to Heaven to live with God.

She still wished her father and God a happy Father's day when the holiday rolled around, but it wasn't the same as having her father there to celebrate it with her.

Heaving a sigh, Emily put her crayons down and stood up. She made her way over to where Matt was still sorting through some CD's.

"Hey there, Emele!" Matt greeted her sincerely. "What's up?"

Emily shrugged.

"Nothing much. Do you wanna play a game?" She asked.

"I'd love to," Matt started. "But I have to get my music picked out for tonight."

Emily frowned upon hearing this. She had really wanted to spend some time with her only grown up friend.

Seeing her frown, Matt tried to cheer her up.

"We can spend some time together tomorrow." He said. With that, he ruffled her hair and went back to sorting through his music collection.

"Okay." Emily said. "Aloha." With that, she went to see what everyone else was doing. She really wanted to take a flight with Naia. But she had gone to see the Princess Ponies with Heart Throb for the day.

Naia had asked Emily if she wanted to come along, but she had said no. She wanted to wait until her cousins could go with her. She didn't know the Princess Ponies yet and she felt better meeting them if Megan was with her. That's just how she was when it came to certain situations.

Later that afternoon, Molly and Emily went to the nursery to see what the baby ponies were doing.

Mahina grinned when she saw Emily. She loved her mother to pieces.

"Mama!" She said happily.

Emily smiled upon seeing her little Anela.

"Aloha, baby. What's up? Do you guys wanna play?"

Most of the baby ponies agreed almost immediately.

Emily picked Mahina up and hugged her close. She loved spending time with her daughter.

Once she had set her down, Molly suggested they play catch.

Emily agreed, even though something in the back of her mind was telling her no. She knew it was wrong to play ball in the house, but she ignored the voice this time.

The two girls began throwing a ball around with the baby ponies.

Mike, Matt, and Kassy came by a few minutes later.

Kassy giggled and ran to join in the game.

"Have fun, my little butterfly," Mike said. "I'll see you later."

"Matt!" Emily called. "Want to play?"

"Wish I could, sweetie, but I can't," Matt said, shrugging.

"You can just watch us, then."

"I can't, Em. I'm a little busy today. I still need to get ready for work." He explained.

"Okay. How 'bout later?"

"Later, I'm going down to Nebraska for a broadcast."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it is." He said warmly.

Emily smiled as she thought about who to throw the ball to next.

Even though Matt had told her he would hang out with her tomorrow, she still wished he could play with them now.

She threw the ball to Molly, who threw it to Baby Rainbow Star.

Baby Rainbow Star bopped it to Kassy, who threw it to Baby Lofty, who threw it to Molly. Molly threw it to Emily.

Emily threw the ball to Kassie, who was standing practically on the other side of the room.

However, Emily wasn't aware just how hard she had thrown it.

Due to how hard Emily had thrown the ball, Kassie didn't catch it in time. She had thrown it too high.

Emily gasped as the ball sailed straight for Matt, who had just come out of the make shift studio he had made for himself in one of the spare rooms.

"Oh no!" Molly exclaimed.

"Matt, look out!" Emily cried seconds before the ball hit him.

Emily gasped and ran to see if he was okay. Molly ran after her.

Kassie just stood there and burst into tears. She was sure the accident had been her fault because she hadn't caught the ball when Emily had thrown it to her.

This wasn't true of course. But it was just how Kassie saw it in her four-year-old mind.

"Matt, are you all right?" Molly shouted as she reached his side.

Emily was close to tears herself. She hadn't wanted this to happen. She had just wanted Matt to play with them. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.

"Matt, E kala maioe iau! E kala maioe iau!" She tearfully said sincerely. "I'm sorry!"

Matt nodded. He tried to assure Emily he was okay while trying to ignore the pain at the same time.

"It's okay, Emele. It's okay." He said, despite how much he was hurting. "I know you didn't mean to do it. It was an accident. I'm not mad at you."

"I'm sorry!" Kassie cried before letting out a wail. Her wails affectively brought Megan and Mike into the room.

The fifteen-year-old assessed the situation along with Mike and took charge immediately.

"What happened?" Megan asked. She gazed to Emily, who was trying not to burst into tears, to Kassie who was in tears and to Molly who looked worried.

Her gaze traveled to Matt, who looked like he was in pain and then to the ball that lay discarded by the door.

She pulled Kassie into her arms and tried to comfort her while she waited for someone to fill her in.

"I'm sorry!" Kassie cried around the same time Emily said it in Hawaiian before the tears came.

"Emily hit Matt with the ball." Molly volunteered. "But she didn't mean it. It was an accident."

Megan nodded. She had a feeling Emily hadn't meant to do it.

"Why were you guys playing ball in the Estate?" She asked. "You know it's a no-no. You've heard me yell at Danny for it more times than you can count."

Emily nodded as she gazed at Molly who frowned.

"I'm sorry, Megan." Molly said softly.

"Thank you, my little sunshine." She said. She turned to Emily.

Her little cousin looked miserable and Megan had a feeling it wasn't just because of what happened to Matt. Something else was bothering her.

"Emily?" Megan asked tentatively.

"E kala maioe iau!" Emily cried before running out of the room in tears.

Megan sighed. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

Once Kassie was calmed down, Megan sent her off to play while she and Mike helped Matt.

They guided him to the kitchen. Mike helped him into a chair while Patrick got him some ice.

Once that was taken care of, Megan turned her attention to what had happened.

"I don't think Emele meant for the ball to hit me." Matt said as he tried to ignore the pain. "She didn't know I was in the music room when they started playing."

"Still," Megan said. "They know better than to play ball in the house. Well at least Molly and Emily know better."

Matt would have nodded in agreement, but his head hurt too much at the moment.

"I think you may need to get your head checked over the rainbow." Mike said.

Usually it was Patrick who made those types of wise cracks.

But everyone knew Mike wasn't kidding around when he had said it this time. This time he was serious.

"Maybe you're right." Matt said as the pain increased.

Megan sighed. She knew she needed to talk to Emily, but she also wanted to make sure Matt was going to be okay too.

After getting Firefly and Lofty to take Matt and Mike over the Rainbow to see Dr. Larson, Megan concentrated on talking to her little cousin.

She was just about to go to Emily's room, when her little cousin joined her.

"Megan?" Emily said softly.

"Yeah, Em?" She asked.

"I'm sorry Matt got hurt. I didn't mean to throw the ball that high. I didn't know he was in the music room."

"I know." Megan said with a sigh. She opened her arms and Emily went into them reluctantly.

Once she felt her cousin hug her close, she relaxed instantly.

After they pulled away, Emily gazed around the room. When she didn't see Matt, she figured he had just gone to lie down after taking some aspirin.

"Where's Matt?" She asked. "Did he go to take a nap until his head feels better?"

Megan shook her head. She knew the truth might make Emily more upset, but she had to tell her.

"No." She replied. "Mike had to take him down to see Dr. Larson."

"Ya-you mean he's at the hospital?" She asked.

"Yeah. But he'll be…" Her voice trailed off as Emily burst into tears, jumped off her lap and ran for her room.

Megan sighed and shook her head. She figured she would give Emily some time alone and then she would try to talk to her again.

It looked like it was gonna be one of those days…

Meanwhile, over the Rainbow, Mike and Matt were waiting in an exam room for Dr. Larson and Dr. Chasity to tell them what was wrong.

It hadn't taken long to get there. Now they were just playing the waiting game.

Lucy had gotten a head CT just to be safe. They were just waiting for the results.

"Emily's taken this really hard." Mike said as he sat next to the gurney Matt was on.

"Ae. I know." He agreed. "It wasn't her fault. Yeah, she shouldn't have been playing ball in the Estate, but neither should Molly or Kassie. That was the only thing Emele did wrong here. She didn't hit me with the ball intentionally."

"Somethin' tells me you're gonna have to convince her of that when we get home."

"I will." Matt said just as Dr. Larson and Dr. Chasity walked back in the room.

"Well the CT came back negative for any bleeding." Arielle informed them. "You just need a lot of rest. The bump isn't too big, which is good too."

"Then why does it feel like I was hit with a brick instead of a ball?" Matt asked.

"Sometimes if you're hit in the head hard enough, the pain can be severe." Lucy explained. "Your body's just in shock. It'll subside soon. We're gonna prescribe some medicine for you. You need to come back here in a week if you experience any nausea, vomiting or dizziness." Dr. Larson explained.

"Will do." Matt told her earnestly.

"I'll make sure he follows orders." Mike told them.

Arielle smiled at him warmly.

"I have no doubt." She said as she handed him a prescription. "You can get that filled at the hospital pharmacy." With that, she and Lucy bade the two men good-bye and left to check on other patients.

Once Mike had pocketed the prescription, he helped Matt off the gurney and the two left for the parking garage. That was where Lofty and Masquerade were waiting to take them back home.

"Ready to go home and face Emily?" Mike asked with a rye smile as he helped Matt onto Lofty's back.

"Yeah." Matt replied. Then after I talk to Emele, I'm going to take a nice, long nap."

"I hear you." Mike said as the two pegasi took off for the Rainbow.

Meanwhile, back in Ponyland, Patrick came into the kitchen. He found Megan in the same position that she had been in earlier. She was either thinking really hard or she was really frustrated about the situation with Emily.

"Still nothing?" He asked after kissing her cheek.

Megan shook her head.

"And I think I just made things worse."

"What makes you say that?" Patrick asked. He sat down next to her. He snatched a cookie off the plate sitting in the middle of the table.

Megan sighed.

"I told Emily that Matt had to go to the hospital so Dr. Larson could check him over. She ran out of the room crying. I Think she's afraid he's going to die like her father."

"What!" Patrick exclaimed in surprise. He had no idea about what had happened to Emily's biological father. The only thing he knew was that they had been really close and now her father wasn't around anymore. He just thought maybe he had walked out on Emily and her mother, just like his father did when he was ten.

Megan nodded.

"Uncle Sam died in a surfing accident." She explained. "Em took it pretty hard. She and her father were extremely close."

Patrick frowned.

"Wow! That's rough." He said sincerely. "Now wonder she's so upset about what happened to Matt. But she didn't' do it on purpose. Matt told her he didn't blame her."

"I know." Megan said. "Why don't you try and talk to her."

"What?" Patrick asked, totally taken aback. "Emily's nice to me and we get along all right, but I don't have any idea what she's going through. My Dad's still alive."

Megan nodded.

"I know. But maybe she'll open up to you. Then after you're done talking to her, I'll try again. Hopefully by the time we're both done talking to her, Matt will come home and this whole thing can get straightened out."

"Hopefully." Patrick agreed. "All right. I'll talk to her."

"Thank you." Megan said. She gave him a kiss and hug before pushing him gently towards Emily's bedroom door.

Patrick took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Go away!" Emily cried.

"I'm sorry, but I can't." Patrick replied. He stepped into the room and sat down on the edge of her bed. He noticed Mahina sleeping beside her and tried to keep his voice down so he didn't wake the baby pony.

"We need to talk." He said. "Come on. We're going for a walk."

Emily nodded. She stood up and took Patrick's hand. She glanced back at her daughter and sighed.

"What about Mahina? I can't just leave her alone."

"Megan will watch her." Patrick assured her.

Emily accepted this answer and followed Patrick into the living room.

"We'll be back!" Patrick called into the playroom.

"All right!" Megan called back. "Be good, Em! Be careful you two."

"We will." Patrick replied. With that, he led Emily out of the Estate and down his favorite trail.

Almost the second they left, Mike and Matt returned, along with Lofty and Masquerade.

When they returned, Mike helped Matt get settled on the couch just as Megan came into the room.

"What happened at the hospital?" She asked. She sat down in a chair across from Matt. "What did Dr. Larson say?"

Mike had a feeling Matt was too exhausted to answer, so he did it for him.

"Dr. Larson said the bump wasn't bad and that Matt needed rest. She gave him some painkillers and told us to come back if he has anymore problems." He replied.

Megan nodded. She was glad Matt was gonna be okay.

"Holy macanoli!" Molly exclaimed in relief. "I'm glad you're gonna be okay." She patted Matt's shoulder and he smiled at her.

"Me too, Moll." He said affectionately. He gazed around the room and realized two kids were missing. "Where are Patrick and Emele?"

"Patrick and Emily went for a walk." Megan explained. "He's gonna try and talk to her about what happened and what's making her so upset."

"I hope he can get through to her." Matt said as he closed his eyes to rest.

Megan nodded. She smiled and pulled Molly onto her lap for a cuddle. She wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Me too." She said as she patted Molly's shoulder.

Meanwhile, Patrick and Emily had been walking for a good half an hour now. They had long since passed the Moochick's mushromp.

They were now entering a small beach area complete with an ocean. It was the path between the mushromp and the Jewel Desert, where the princess ponies lived.

"We need to talk." Patrick said after they had been walking for a while.

"About what?" Emily asked.

"About whatever's botherin' you."

Emily didn't answer.

"I know what happened with Matt," Patrick continued. "I know it wasn't your fault, but you shouldn't have been playing ball in the Estate. You know better."

Emily sighed.

"I know." She confirmed.

It was then that a question came to Patrick.

"You've been hanging around Matt a lot lately." He observed.

"I like him." Emily replied. "He's nice and fun to be around. Besides, he reminds me of my…" Her voice trailed off and Patrick swore he heard tears in it.

He knew this was his chance to get Emily talking about what was really going on. He didn't want to upset her, but he had to figure out something.

"Emily?" He said as he sat down near the ocean.

Emily followed his lead and sat down as well.

"Ae?" Emily asked. She glanced up at him before her gazed traveled to the ocean. A faraway look was on her face. It made Patrick think she was home sick for Hawaii.

Patrick took a deep breath before asking her what was really on his mind.

"What was your Dad like?"

Emily sighed. She had been thinking about her father more often lately, even if she didn't want to admit it to Patrick or anyone else.

"Do we have to talk about him?" She asked. "I really miss him a lot."

"I know you do." Patrick said gently. "What happened that day? The day he…" Patrick's voice trailed off. He couldn't finish the sentence. He knew he was killing Emily, but he had to know. They had to figure out what was making her so upset and find a way to help her.

"I don't want to talk about that." Emily stated firmly.

"Why not?" Patrick asked. He knew that question was pretty dumb, but he had to keep going.

"It makes me sad when I think about…what happened." Then without even knowing it, she started to speak. "We went to the beach and Daddy was gonna teach me how to do a new surfing move. We just had lunch and I was building a sand castle when Daddy suggested we go out in the water. I left my sand castle and followed him eagerly. He showed me how to body surf. Before we knew it, Mommy was packing everything up and said it was time to go home. But we didn't want to go. Daddy told Mom he would be home in a little bit. He wanted to stay and practice some more. He gave me a kiss and hug and told me he loved me and to be good for Mommy. We went home, but…" Her voice trailed off as the tears came.

Patrick tried his best to comfort her, but she pulled away.

"He never came back home!" She cried as the tears continued to fall. "I miss him so much! And Father's day's almost here and I hate it! I hate not having my Daddy here anymore! I hate it!" With that, she broke down completely.

Patrick reached over and pulled her into his lap. He rocked her back and forth and encouraged her to cry it out. He knew she had to get this out of her system. A part of him felt Megan would have been better suited for the job, but she wasn't here right now and he was.

Once Emily had calmed down for the moment, Patrick asked the little girl another question.

"What did you guys used to do together if you don't mind me asking."

Emily shook her head as she wiped at her eyes.

"We used to go surfing together and out for bike rides and hikes. In the summer, we used to lie outside on the beach and watch the moon. Sometimes we would stay out all night. Daddy would tell me stories in Hawaiian or sing one of my favorite Hawaiian songs and I would fall asleep in his arms…" With that, she broke down once again. "It's not fair!" She cried. "It's not fair! Why did he have to die! I want my Daddy! I want my Daddy!"

Emily let out another sob as more tears came.

Soon her small body was wracked with sobs.

Patrick did what he could to soothe her, but he knew she was hurting and she had to let this out.

But when she didn't start calming down after a while, the teenager started to become worried.

He tried everything he could think of, but nothing seemed to be working.

Finally, he just picked Emily up and headed back to the Estate. Maybe Megan or Matt would be able to help her.

He really wished Naia hadn't picked this week to go on that trip with Flutterbye and Sparkler.

When they returned to the Estate, they entered the living room to find Matt resting and Mike flipping through channels on the TV.

The second she saw Matt, Emily squirmed to be put down.

Patrick did so immediately.

The second she was on the ground, the little girl ran to the Hawaiian man's side and launched herself at him. She was crying all over again, but this time it was from guilt.

"E kala maioe iau!" She cried as the tears continued to fall. "E kala maioe iau!"

Matt pushed the pain aside and concentrated on the upset little girl who was now clinging to him as though her world depended on it.

He hushed her gently and spoke to her softly in Hawaiian. He hugged her close and assured her he wasn't angry with her and he was going to be okay.

"What happened now?" Mike asked. He gazed at Emily in concern.

Patrick sighed and started to explain. He sat down in a chair across from Matt and Emily and took a deep breath.

"Shh, shh, Emele, it's okay…" Matt continued to soothe. "It's all right, my Kamali'i wahine. It's okay…"

Emily calmed for a minute. Nobody had called her princess but her father. She wasn't sure how she felt about it at first, but when she heard Matt call her it again, it sounded right to her.

"Shh, shh, that's my Kamali'i wahine…" He said, continuing to rock her gently. "It's okay. I'm all right, sweetheart. I know you didn't mean to hit me with the ball."

Emily nodded as she tried to regain her breath.

"I miss my Daddy!" Emily cried all of a sudden.

"I know you do, honey." Matt soothed. "I know. And I know what you're going through."

This got Emily to look up at him for the first time since she had run to him a few minutes earlier.

"You do?"

"Ae." Matt replied. "My Dad died when I was a little older than you are. He was killed in a car accident."

"I'm sorry." Emily said softly.

"It's okay." Matt assured her. "I miss my Dad too. But I know he's in Heaven watching over me just like your Daddy is watching over you. He still loves you."

"I know." Emily said. "But I miss him so much!" With that, she broke down yet again.

She buried her face in Matt's shoulder as the tears fell.

Heart wrenching sobs filled the room, breaking the hearts of everyone there.

As Matt continued to soothe the little girl he now held in his arms, he started singing a Hawaiian song he thought Emily would like.

The song was called "Always."

As it turned out, Emily not only liked it, the song helped in calming her breathing. She even stopped crying slowly but surely.

"Can that be our special song, o'lu'ulu?" She asked.

"You got it, sweetie." He said lovingly.

It wasn't long before Emily was fast asleep in Matt's arms.

"I'm gonna tuck her in for a nap." Matt told the others. He stood up and carried Emily upstairs.

Once he was gone, Mike turned to Patrick.

"Was she like that with you?" Mike asked referring to how upset Emily had been.

Patrick nodded.

"Not at first. But when she started talking about her father, she got pretty worked up. She really misses him. He died during a surfing accident. She really isn't looking forward to Father's Day either."

Mike nodded and frowned.

"Poor kid." He said sympathetically.

Megan nodded in agreement. She was about to say something, when she heard Matt call her name.

"Megan, I need some ko kua up here!"

"Okay! I'll be right there." Megan replied. She understood enough Hawaiian to know he had just asked her for help. She gave Mike an apologetic look and left to see what Matt needed.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she found Matt standing inside Emily's room. He looked worried.

"What's wrong?" Megan asked.

Matt sighed.

"I'm not sure. But I think she cried herself out."

"She does that sometimes if she's really upset." Megan assured him. "She'll be fine."

Matt shook his head.

"No. I don't mean cried herself to sleep. I mean cried herself out. She wont' wake up for me. And she feels hot too."

Megan nodded. She felt Emily's forehead for herself.

Sure enough, her little cousin was burning up.

"I'll go and get the thermometer." She said. "You stay here with Em in case she wakes up." With that, she left the room and headed for the bathroom.

Once the thermometer beeped, Megan took it out of Emily's mouth and read the results.

"According to this, Em has a fever of 101.2 degrees." Megan replied. "We need to get her down to see Dr. Larson."

Matt nodded in agreement.

Just then, Emily started to stir. Her brown eyes opened slightly and she gazed up into her cousin's green ones.

When she realized she wasn't with Matt anymore, she started to struggle, but stopped when she heard Megan's voice.

"Emily, it's okay. It's Megan. You're all right, honey. You're going to be okay. We're gonna get you help."

As Emily opened her eyes, she let out a whimper.

"Megan, I don't' feel good."

"Shh," Megan soothed. "I know you don't honey. You're going to be okay. I promise. It's all right, Emily. Megan's going to try and make it better."

"Where's Matt?" Emily asked.

"I'm right here, Kamali'i wahine." Matt assured her. He reached out and put a hand on Emily's shoulder. "Megan and I are going to take care of you."

Megan placed Emily down on the bed so she could put the thermometer back.

Emily immediately latched her hand with Matt's. Matt didn't mind at all. He even took Emily into his lap.

Just as Megan returned with a drink of water for Emily, the little girl vomited all over the bed.

"Aw, Emily," Megan said gently, coming over and putting a hand on her shoulder. She placed a bucket in front of her while cleaning up the mess. "It's okay. You're gonna be okay."

"I'm sorry!" Emily cried, bursting into tears again. "I'm sorry! "I'm….." Her voice trailed off as she threw up again. this time, Megan was ready.

While Megan held the bucket for her, Matt helped Emily sit up. it wasn't' until at least ten minutes later that Emily's stomach calmed down.

She still felt really sick. She didn't want Megan or Matt to leave her-especially Matt.

As Patrick watched Megan and Matt get Emily ready to go to the hospital, he frowned with worry. He hoped she was going to be okay.

"You're going to be okay Em," Firefly soothed, putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "I promise. You're going to be fine. You'll be back home with us soon." She nuzzled Emily gently as Matt picked Emily up and carried her to where Wind Whistler was waiting to take her and Megan to the hospital.

Matt was going to ride Paradise since Medley hadn't returned yet.

When they reached the hospital, Wind Whistler and Paradise dropped their friends off and then went back to Ponyland.

Megan promised to call them via her cell phone to let them know what was going on.

After they went inside, the waiting game began.

Emily laid in Matt's lap, sitting up only when she had to get sick, which was often. She was exhausted from the whole day.

By the time a doctor saw them, Emily was crying again from not feeling good and everything that had happened that day.

As it turned out, Dr. Larson was on a paramedic ride along, so Lucy Chasity took over Emily's case.

When Lucy saw Megan, she smiled at her.

"Hello, Megan," Lucy said. "I'm glad you're feeling better." She frowned as she glanced down at Emily who was clinging to Matt for dear life. "And who do we have here?"

"This is my little cousin, Emily." Megan said. "She's eight-years-old. She's not feeling really well. She had sort of a bad day and then she came down with a fever and passed out. She regained consciousness and hasn't lost it since ten minutes before we came here. She's been conscious ever since. Matt

thought it could be stress related."

Lucy nodded and turned her attention to Matt.

"Why do you say that?" Lucy asked.

Matt shrugged and handed Emily to Megan.

"Aloha." He greeted before saying his peace on the matter. "It's nice to meet you."

"Same here." Lucy said sincerely.

Matt nodded.

Emily, sensing separation from Matt, reached for him and started to cry.

Megan got control of the situation before Emily made herself sick again.

"Shh, shh, hush now, sweetie. It's okay, Emily. It's all right. Your big cousin has you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're safe with me. You're okay. It's all right. Megan's here. I have you." She started singing "There's Always Another Rainbow", hoping that Emily would respond in a good way to it.

It seemed to help and Emily started calming down. She was still crying, but she seemed to be content in Megan's arms.

Seeing that Emily was content for the moment, Matt motioned for Lucy to follow him into the hallway. He wanted to explain before Emily got upset again.

"Listen, Emily's gone through a hard time lately. She's had to adjust to living with Abby and her cousins and being separated from her mother all in a short amount of time. That's a lot for a keki to handle. She's been doing well up until now. And on top of everything else, she's really missing her Dad."

Lucy nodded.

"Is there a way to get in touch with him?" She asked.

Matt shook his head sadly.

"I'm afraid not. He died in a surfing accident a little over a year ago."

Lucy frowned.

"Okay. Well, I think she's just suffering from the flu brought on by stress. I'm gonna send her home with you and Megan after she's rehydrated and is able to drink something. If her fever spikes again within twenty-four to forty-eight hours, bring her back. Otherwise, I think she would do better at home."

Matt nodded.

"Okay." With that, he returned to Emily and Megan.

Emily was laying in bed, while Megan was talking on her cell phone.

"Okay, Mom. We'll let you know. I'll tell her. I love you. Bye."

Matt raised his eyebrows once she was done.

"That was Firefly." Megan explained. "She called to see how Miss Emily was doing. I told her I would let her know when she could come down, along with Lofty to pick us up."

"Oh." Matt said. He turned his attention to Emily who was starting to stir. "Aloha Emele. Are you feeling better?"

"A little." Emily replied. She turned to Megan. "Megan, I wanna go home!"

"I know you do, Em. We will as soon as Dr. Chasity says you can. I promise. Firefly called. She's really worried about you."

Emily nodded.

"I have something that might cheer you up." Matt said. With that, he produced an instrument from a bag on the ground and started to play it.

As the familiar tune of "Always" floated through the room, Emily's eyes lit up and she grinned for the first time since she had become sick.

"It sounds like you guys are having a luau in here without me."

Matt grinned as he continued to play.

Lucy smiled as she walked in the room.

"Hey, sweetheart." She said, noticing Emily was awake. "I have good news for you."

"What is it?" Emily asked.

"Well, how does going home in the next hour sound?" Lucy asked with a grin.

Emily grinned in response.

"It sounds Maika'I to me!" She said.

Lucy turned to Matt for help. She knew some Hawaiian, but not much.

Seeing Lucy's confused expression, Emily blushed.

"Maika'I is good in Hawaiian." She explained.

"Well in that case, Maika'I then." Lucy said with a warm smile. "I'll be back to discharge you soon."

As she left, she handed Matt a cup. It was full of apple juice.

Emily was a little hesitant to drink it at first, but Matt convinced her it was okay.

When they returned to Ponyland, Matt carried a fast asleep Emily into the Estate.

Megan followed suit.

They entered the living room to find Molly playing a game with Brooke and someone they hadn't expected to see for another week or so.

"Julie!" Megan said in surprise. "When did you get back, little one?"

Julie grinned as she ran to give her older sister a hug.

"A little while ago. Charlotte got the flu, so we had to come back early."

Megan frowned.

"I'm sorry." She said as she ruffled Julie's hair. 'I hope she feels better."

"Me too." Julie said. She went back to her game after they had pulled away.

As she sat down, she got her first glimpse of Matt as he went up the stairs to tuck Emily in.

"I didn't know Matt was here." Julie said to Megan as she took her next turn in the game.

Megan nodded.

"Yup. Emily's really grown attached to him."

Julie nodded.

"Is Emily okay?" Julie asked worriedly.

"She will be." Megan replied. "She just has the flu."

Julie nodded. She hoped Emily would feel better soon.

Just then, Molly took her last turn and came over to Megan. She sat in her lap and snuggled in for a cuddle.

"I missed you, Megan." She said. "What was wrong with Emily?"

"She just got the flu." Megan replied. "She'll be better soon. So how was your day? What did you do while I was gone?"

Molly grinned as she started telling Megan about her day.

"Well, Fizzy and I played some bubble ball and then we had lunch. After lunch, I went for a ride with Fizzy and we visited Flutter Valley for a little bit. I Played with Morning Glory and Sting and then we came home. When we got back, Julie was here and we took Jewelhart and Scooter for a walk. We came back and started playing a game of Disney Trivia and then you guys came home."

Megan giggled. Her baby sister was cute.

Molly gave her a confused look, but Megan just shook her head and hugged Molly close. It felt good to have both of her little sister's home again.

Later that night, Megan tucked Emily in bed and gave her a hug and kiss.

"Sweet dreams, Em. I love you."

"Love you too, Megan." Emily said, already half asleep. The day had really worn her out.

Mahina was fast asleep snuggled next to her.

"Remember, the faster you sleep, the faster tomorrow will come and then…"

"Naia comes home!" Emily replied, suddenly wide awake again. "I really miss her. I can't wait to see her again!"

"I know. " Megan said. "I'll bet she misses you too."

Emily nodded as she settled back down.

Megan made sure Emily was warm enough, opened her window a little and then left her room. She needed to get some rest herself. It had certainly been a long day for everyone.

She smiled as she checked on Julie. She was glad her little sister was back home again.

"Sweet dreams, little one." She said, kissing her cheek. "I love you."

After she had checked on Molly, she checked on Emily one last time before going to bed herself.

As she laid down for bed, she wondered what the next day would bring. If there was one thing Megan was sure of it was that the next day would be full of surprises for her and her family. And she couldn't wait for them to begin.

The quiet of the Estate was broken by a scream of terror somewhere around three in the morning.

Emily sat up in bed, tears and sweat streaming down her face.

She had just had a nightmare and it had been a bad one.

As she sat there shaking and crying, her bedroom door opened and Matt stood there. He gave her a concerned look as he approached her gently.

"Emele?" He asked. He asked her what had happened in Hawaiian and she answered him tearfully.

As she felt his hand on her shoulder, she allowed him to pull her close.

She let the tears fall as the shaking started to subside a little.

Just then, Megan poked her head in the doorway.

"What happened? Is Emily all right?" She asked in concern.

"She will be soon." Matt affirmed. "She just had a bad dream."

Megan nodded. She came over and kissed Emily's cheek and stroked her hair once before leaving to check on everyone else. She could tell Emily was in good hands.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Matt asked softly.

Emily's answer was soft, but Matt heard it all the same.

"That's okay." HE assured her. "I think I know what might help you feel better."

"What?" Emily asked. She was curious now.

Matt smiled. He picked Emily up and carried her downstairs and out of the Estate.

They walked a good twenty-minutes before Matt stopped.

He sat down in a quiet spot overlooking the ocean while still holding Emily.

He loosened his grip on the little girl for a minute and pulled out his ukulele and started playing the song Emily liked so much.

Emily started calming down little by little.

Not long after Matt was done playing the song, Emily was fast asleep once again.

"Sweet dreams, Emele." He whispered.

They stayed there until he was sure that Emily was in dreamland before he took her back to the Estate.

Tucking her back in bed, he planted a kiss on her cheek and put a hand through her hair.

As he closed the door partway, he met Megan in the hallway.

"is Emily okay?" She asked.

"Yeah." Matt replied. "She's fast asleep again."

"You're amazing with her." Megan commented, shaking her head.

"I've always been good with kids. What can I say?"

Megan giggled.

"Well, good night, Matt." She said as she turned to go back into her room.

"Night, Megan. See you in the morning." With that, they both went to their rooms for the rest of the night.

Saturday dawn bright and warm. It was warm, but at the same time, not too hot.

The little ponies were hanging out with their friends and just enjoying the day.

Patrick had gone to spend Father's day with his father in Kansas, while Mike was hanging with Brooke.

Glowstar was spending time with Melody, while the others just did their own thing.

Glowstar had taken Melody to the circus for the day. He knew the day was hard for the younger Hartson girls and Emily, so he was trying to help them.

Masquerade took Patrick down to Kansas knowing Megan needed her mother close by.

The same went for Julie and Molly with Medley and Fizzy.

Although Molly wasn't too bothered by Father's day anymore. She just thought of it as a normal day as did Megan.

Julie was a little bummed. Medley cheered her up with a trip to Garden Valley and then a surprise trip to Flutter Valley to visit Morning Glory.

As for Megan, she had taken a flight around Ponyland with Firefly and the two had just enjoyed each other's company.

As for Emily, nobody had seen her since breakfast that morning. She had already gotten ready for the day according to Naia, who was keeping a close eye on her best friend.

Shortly after breakfast, Emily had asked Naia to watch Mahina for her while she spent some time alone in her room. She didn't sound sad, so Naia wasn't too worried.

Mahina, for her part had gotten used to everyone by now, so she didn't mind spending time with people and ponies other than her mother.

She loved spending time with Naia, Twilight and Megan the most. Firefly was also high on her list as far as favorite relatives went.

Right before lunch, Matt was outside, working on a new song when he felt someone approach him.

He glanced up and smiled when he saw who it was.

Emily was standing there, holding something behind her back. She was smiling shyly at him.

"Aloha, Emele. What's up?" Matt asked warmly.

Emily hesitated slightly, but then remembered what Naia had told her the day before and decided to take the plunge.

"I have something for you." She began. "I got the idea a few days ago and I've been working on it ever since. I-I hope you like it." With that, she brought her left hand around and held it out to Matt.

Matt smiled when he saw what the little girl had made him.

"Do you like it?" Emily asked.

Matt grinned as he gazed down at the artwork and then at the little girl who had given it to him.

"Aw. I love it. Mahalo, sweetheart. It's beautiful."

Emily beamed.

"Thanks. And thanks for everything. I know I'm not your…and my…" Her voice trailed off as she felt Matt pull her in for a hug.

"Emele, listen to me," Matt started kindly.

"Okay." Emily replied.

"I know what you're trying to do and it means a lot to me." He started. "And I know your Daddy would be proud of you for reaching out to a friend even though today is hard for you."

"Really?" Emily asked.

"Really. And you know what else I Think?" He asked.

Emily shook her head.

"I think this," he said, pointing to the beaded ocean pattern Emily had made for him, "is going on my desk at work."

This got Emily to smile even wider.

"You mean it?" She asked.

"Ae." Matt replied.

The two embraced.

After they pulled away, Emily said good-bye to Matt and ran off to find Naia. She wanted to tell her best pony friend what had happened.

She found her in the lullaby nursery. She was reading a book to the baby ponies.

When Mahina saw her mother, she ran to her and snuggled in for a cuddle.

"Mama!" She said happily.

"Aw, Aloha, my Mahina Anela. Did you have fun with Naia?"

"Ae." Mahina replied.

"I'm glad." Emily said. She stroked Mahina's mane as she turned to Naia.

"Did he like it?" The pegasus asked.

Emily nodded.

"Ae. HE loved it!"

"See?" Naia asked. "I told you he would."

"Ae, you did. And you were right about something else too." She replied.

"What's that, Em?" Naia asked, nuzzling her.

"Anyone can be part of your Ohana. As long as you love each other and ko kua each other, that's all that matters."

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Naia replied.

"And you know what else?" Emily added as she put a squirming Mahina down.

"What's that?"

"I'm glad you're a part of mine." She said sincerely.

Naia grinned.

"So am I, sweetie." She replied as Emily climbed onto her back for a flight. "So am I."

Later that night, Emily laid down and pulled Mahina close. She kissed her daughter on the cheek and put a hand through her mane as she got comfortable.

As her eyes started to close, they caught sight of the picture of her father. She grinned for the first time in a long time as her eyes lingered on it for a minute.

"Happy Father's Day, Daddy. I Love you. Thanks for helping Matt and I find each other. He's a great friend and I'm glad he's a part of my Ohana. I love you." With that, Emily closed her eyes and fell asleep for the rest of the night.

The day had been full of surprises for everyone-especially Emily.

While it was true she would still miss her father on Father's day, she now had a reason to look forward to the holiday. And it was all thanks to her Ohana who had helped her to see it in a different way. And as far as Emily was concerned, it was something she would never forget any time soon.

THE END


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